Industrial mixer



Jan. 7, 1969 u. c. V'ON EIFF ETAL INDUSTRIAL MIXER Filed May 2, 1966 FIG. l

FIG. 2

0 HO I8 INVENTORS. ULRICH CHRISTOF VON EIFF I BY ANGEL LIRA UGALDE ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent O 2,310 US. Cl. 24146.04 Int. Cl. B02c 13/18 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An industrial mixer handles liquids, slurries, pastes, solids in liquids, and solids only by the provision of a vertically disposed container having a tapered lower end discharging directly into and merging smoothly with the inlet end of a comminuting pump. A common shaft assembly drives the impeller for the pump and precutter blades which are disposed within the container and which divide the interior of the container into an upper chamber above the precutter member and a lower chamber below the precutter member. Stationary cutter blades are fixed to the container below the precutter member in spaced relation thereto and in marginally overlapping relationship therewith. The material being discharged by the pump may be recirculated back to the container with heat exchange being provided in the recirculating portion.

This invention generally appertains to improvements in material treating devices and more particularly relates to novel and useful improvements in mixers which are of general use and are especially useful for commercial and industrial purposes in the chemical, paper, waste recovery and foodstuff industries.

Industrial mixers are known which are only useful for milling and grinding dry materials. Other mixers are known which are only useful for cutting, refining and reducing materials with a moisture content to pastes. Still other imixers are known which are useful for mixing and liquifying slurries or liquids for homogenizing, digesting, dissolving or the like purposes.

The mixers, which are employed to treat dry materials or solid materials having a moisture content, are of the once-through type; Whereas the liquifying mixers are generally, but not always, of the recirculation type. Depending upon the nature of the materials and the desired end result, a different type of mixer is employed. Such mixers are of different constructions and function in different manners.

It is a main object of the present invention to provide an industrial mixer which is extremely versatile so that it can be effectively used, without structural modification, for treating dry materials, solid materials with a moisture content or slurries and semisolid liquid materials to achieve any desired result and produce any desired end of finished condition of the treated materials.

Another important object of the present invention is to provie a sturdy, extremely compact and inexpensive industrial mixer which is capable of selectively functioning in a once-through or recirculation manner.

Another imporatnt object of the present invention is to provide an industrial mixer which can selectively perform a milling and pumping action, a refining and pumping action, a shredding or cutting and pumping action, and a mixing and pumping action.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an industrial mixer which essentially is composed of relatively few inexpensive moving parts that function to perform any desired comminuting-like and 3,420,456 Patented Jan. 7, 1969 mixing action on wet or dry solid materials, pastes, slurries and the like and to discharge the materials, after effecting such action thereon, under a very high pressure.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide an industrial mixer which includes a comminuting pump, as disclosed in our copending application, Ser. No. 496,370, filed Oct. 15, 1965, now Patent No. 3,375,983, which is driven by an associated prime mover and has its inlet structurally associated with a material holding container wherein a precutter means is operatively disposed with the precutter means being structually related with the comminuting pump so that it is actuated thereby and is driven in consort therewith by the prime mover.

In line with the foregoing object, it is a further important object of the present invention to provide a precutter means for the comminuting pump so that materials of a much larger size than the body of the pump can be handled, with the size of the pump retained at a minimum so as to realize substantial savings in construction costs, and to obtain an industrial mixer which will take up very little space and yet will be extremely effective and fast acting.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a small, compact, inexpensive industrial mixer which can be used for performing any type of mixing operation on any type of material, irrespective of the nature thereof.

A still further important object of the present invention is to provide an industrial mixer which is formed so that a plurality of such mixers can be arranged in a tandem or series relationship for sequential treatment of materials.

The foregoing and ancillary objects are attained by this invention, the preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an industrial mixer, formed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the mixer, showing a somewhat modified form of ground support means and with the recirculation conduit means of FIG. 1 not shown;

FIG. 3 is an exploded, detailed view, partly in vertical section, of the interengaging means between the precutter shaft and the impeller shaft of the comminuting pump; and

FIG. 4 is a detailed sectional view, illustrating the means for adjustably mounting cutting elements on the precutter shaft.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, and initially to FIG. 1, the industrial mixer 10 includes a vertically disposed container or vat 12, which may be of any desired cross-sectional shape and is shown as cylindrical for exemplary purposes. The container 12 has an open upper end portion 14 which is closed oil by a removable cover or lid 16 that is provided with an inlet 18, whereby materials may be more easily deposited into the container without removing the lid.

The container has a lower, inwardly tapered end portion or throat 20 which is open and is formed with an external mounting flange 22 by means of which it is secured to a comminuting pump 24.

The comminuting pump 24 is disclosed in our copending application, Ser. No. 496,370, filed Oct. 15, 1965, and includes a casing 26, which is in the form of a hollow body of revolution and, as illustrated, is cylindrical, The casing 26 is vertically disposed and underlies the container 12 and supports or is supported by the container 12. The casing has an upper end formed with an external mounting flange 28 on which the mounting flange 22 of the container is secured by any suitable means.

As shown in FIG. 1, the container 12 is supported in a vertical position by standards or legs 30 that terminate at their lower ends in ground engaging feet 32.

A prime mover 34 underlies the casing 26 and is secured thereto by vertical supports 36. The driving shaft 38 of the prime mover is secured by a suitable coupling means 40 to the external shaft end 42 of an impeller shaft that is operatively disposed in the casing 26, as will be described and as is disclosed in said copending application.

The casing 26 is formed with a radial outlet 44 to which a recirculation conduit means 46 is attached. The recirculation conduit means 46 includes a vertically disposed conduit 48, which is communicated with the outlet 44 by means of a lateral conduit 50. The conduit 48 has a lower outlet end 52, that is controlled by a valve 54. The operation of the valve 54 permits the material discharged from the casing outlet 44 to be passed into the conduit 48 for recirculation and, after the desired condition of the material being treated has been realized, permits the material to be discharged through the outlet 52.

The conduit 48 is connected, at its upper end 56, through a swivel coupling 58 to an elbow pipe 60 that discharges, through a suitable opening in the lid or cover 16, into the interior of the container 12. The coupling 58 permits the pipe 60 to be swung away from the container so that the lid 16 may be removed.

The recirculation conduit means 46 is shown as being of the rigid, articulated type but, obviously, such can be formed from flexible tubing or the like. In any event, there will be a vertical section 48, which spans the vertical distance between the outlet 44 and the upper end portion 14 of the container 12.

A heat exchanger 62 is suitably circumposed on the vertical conduit section 48 and, due to the length of the conduit section 48 and its association with the pump casing 26 and the container 12, the heat exchanger 62 can be of considerable length. The heat exchanger is provided with inlet and outlet tubing 64 and 66, which are in communication with a suitable heating or cooling system. The provision of the heat exchanger 62 permits chemical reaction to take place during the turbulent flow of the material in the conduit 48 in the recirculation of the material.

In FIG. 2, the prime mover 34, which may be an electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, steam or internal combustion motor, underlies the casing 26 and supports the casing through the medium of vertical standards 68. The prime mover is provided with supporting legs 70, which terminate in ground engaging feet 72.

In either of the only slightly differing supporting forms of FIGS. 1 or 2, it will be noted that the prime mover is directly connected to the pump casing and whether the prime mover serves as the support through the intermediary of directly connected legs 70, as in FIG. 2, or whether supporting legs 30 are provided and are attached to the container, as shown in FIG. 1, or to the casing is not of significant importance.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 2 for more detailed consideration of the operating structure of the comminuting pump 24 and an associated precutter means 74, which is operatively disposed in the container 12, it will be noted that the external shaft end 42 carries an impeller assembly 76, which is operatively disposed within the casing 26. In this respect, the casing 26 has an axial inlet end 78 which constitutes the upper end of the casing and which is in free communication with the outlet end of the throat portion 20 of the container for the free gravitational flow of the material from the container into the pump casing 26. The opposite end of the casing has a closed end wall 80, which is formed with a central opening 82 in which the impeller hub or shaft 84 is sealingly and rotatably mounted by means of a sealing bearing assembly 86.

The shaft 84 is rotatably disposed within the casing 26, concentric with the axis of the casing, and is driven by the prime mover 34 through the intermediary coupling means 40 between the driving shaft 38 of the prime mover and the external shaft end 42 of the shaft 84.

The interior of the casing 26 defines a comminuting pump chamber within which the shaft 84 is rotatably positioned and the pump casing is provided with an annular liner 90, which, in the shown instance, is formed with annular teeth 92 on its inner surface. The impeller assembly includes the shaft 84 and impeller blades 94, which are formed and mounted on the shaft 84 in accordance with the disclosure in our copending application. The blades 94 are provided with outer toothed edges 96 which cooperate with the teeth 92 in grinding the material, as the material is moved by the blades from the inlet 78 to and through the radial outlet 44.

As disclosed in our copending application, the particular construction and formation of the blades results in a better milling and grinding action and mixing action and results in a discharge of the material through the outlet 44 under a higher and much greater pressure than realized heretofore with known pump impeller assemblies.

The precutter means 74 includes an elongated shaft 98 which is disposed within the container 12 concentric with the axis of the container. The precutter shaft 98 and the impeller shaft 84 are provided with an interengaging means 100, as shown specifically in FIG. 3, whereby the precutter shaft 98 is removably attached to the impeller shaft 84 so as to be driven thereby and to be driven by the prime mover 34 in consort with the impeller shaft and the blades carried thereby. The interengaging means includes the provision of a noncircular opening or socket 102 in the outer free or upper end 104 of the impeller shaft 84. The socket 102 may be of any desired noncircular cross section, such as square, hexagonal or the like, and is formed at the free extremity 104 of the impeller shaft, without interferring with the pumping and comminuting action of the impeller blades 96. The precutter shaft 98 terminates, at its lower end 106, in an axial prolongation 108, which is of a cross-sectional shape and size complemental to the socket 102. Thus, the prolongation 108 is removably socketed in the socket 102, whereby the impeller shaft 84 and the precutter shaft 98 are connected in a unitary structural and functional relationship.

A bearing assembly 110 supports the upper end portion 112 of the precutter shaft 98 with the bearing assembly being carried by the container and being removably associated therewith so that the precutter shaft 98 can be easily lifted in and out of the container 12.

The bearing assembly 110 includes a cross beam 114, which is removably seated on brackets 116 formed at opposed points on the inner wall 118 of the container 12, adjacent its upper end portion 14. The cross beam 114 is formed with an opening 120, through which the upper end portion 112 of the shaft 98 extends. A tubular housing 122 is secured at its lower end, as by spot welding 124, to the cross beam and protrudes through a suitable opening in the lid or cover 16. The housing 122 supports bearings 126 within which the upper end portion 112 of the shaft is disposed, so that the shaft is supported in a very securely stabilized manner for rotative movements about an axis coincidental with the axis of rotation of the impeller shaft 84. If desired, the bearing assembly can be directly attached to and carried by the underside of the cover for the container.

The precutter means 74 further includes cutting elements 128 and 128a which are fixedly circumposed on the shaft 98. For simplicity purposes, only two cutter elements 128 and 128a have been shown, but it is to be understood that any number may be mounted on the shaft. The cutter elements are mounted On the shaft for adjustment relative to each other along the axis of the shaft 98 and relative to cooperating cutting elements 130 which are carried by the container.

As shown more particularly in FIG. 4, the cutting element 128 is formed with a center hub portion 132, that is secured by key means 134 on the shaft. Annular spacers .136 are freely 'circumposed on the shaft and are positioned between an integral collar 138 on the shaft and the cutting elements, and a locking collar 140 that is circumposed on the shaft and secured thereto by a set screw 142.

By virtue of the provision of the spacers 136, it can be appreciated that the distance between the cutting elemens 128 and 128a can be easily adjusted with a greater or lesser number of spacers 136 being utilized to achieve the desired spacing between the cutting elements. Because of the manner in which the cutting elements are mounted and the use of the spacers 136 and the locking collar 140, it can be seen that an adjustability of the cutting elements, along the axis of the shaft 98, relative to each other and the cutting elements 130 can be realized in a manner so that there are no protruding parts upon which the material being treated would tend to hang so as to cause the cutting elements to become clogged. Further, in connection with the treatment of chemicals, foodstuffs or like materials which are to be consumed, it can be appreciated that this is a very sanitary mounting of the cutting elements and that the same can be easily cleaned.

The rotatable cutting elements 128 and 128a, which are "carried by the rotatable shaft 98, cooperate with the cuting elements 130, which are preferably stationary and which are fixed to the inner Wall of the container, preferably in the throat section 20. The cutting elements .130 extend radially inwardly from the sidewall of the throat section and are disposed intermediate the cutting elements 128 and 128a.

Considering the operation of the industrial mixer 12, with regard to a once-through action and with regard to FIG. 2, the material, which may be dry or may have a moisture content, is deposited in the container [[2 by removing the lid or cover 16 or, more preferably, by utilizing the inlet 18 provided in the cover. The impeller shaft 84 and associated impeller blades 94 are rotated by the prime mover and rotate the precutter shaft 98 and precutters 128 and 128a, with the precutters being rotated at the same rate of speed as the impeller blades 96. The precutter blades 128 and 128a, in cooperation with the stationary blades 130, are very useful in cutting large sizes of material so that the material is of reduced size when it gravitates into the pump casing 24 through the axial inlet 78.

By virtue of the precutter assembly, the size of the comminuting pump can be materially reduced, since it will be acting upon materials of smaller size than the initial size of the material, as deposited into the container 12. Therefore, there is a definite functional coaction between the precutter assembly and the comminuting pump 24 and, of course, there is a structural cooperation between the impeller shaft 84 and the precutter shaft 98. The material is acted upon by the impeller blades 94 and discharged, under a high pressure, through the outlet 44.

With regard to a specific material, it may be considered that tomatoes, potatoes or the like are deposited in the container 12 in their normal size and state and are precut by the precutter assembly and then gravitate into the comminuting pump, where they are acted upon and are discharged through the outlet 44 as a paste. The same once-through action can be used for milling solids with no moisture content by having one section of the intake of the pump formed for free access of air so that such air is sufficient to take the solids through the pump and assist the pump in expelling them through the outlet of the pump casing.

The blades 96 serve to achieve an agitating, crumpling or milling action, in cooperation with the inner surface of the casing 26, and effect a pumping action to force the ground or milled material through the outlet 44. Depending upon the material and type of action desired, that is,

Whether a grinding, milling or defiberating action is desired, simultaneous with the pumping action, the blades 96 can be provided with or without serrated or toothed peripheries and the liner can be replaced with a different type of liner, such blade and liner assemblies being disclosed in the aforestated copending application. In any event, the impeller assembly cooperates with the liner in performing some sort of comminuting and mixing action on the material which gravitates into the casing through the axial inlet 78.

In connection with the recirculation means 46, as shown in FIG. 1, such is employed if a process requires a recirculation of liquids, semisolids and liquids and slurries for homogenizing, digesting, diisolving or the like reasons. The slurries or liquids pass through the recirculating conduit means 46 and are continuously recirculated until the desired condition or state of the finished product is realized, whereupon the material is discharged through the outlet 52 by operating the value means 54.

During passage of the fluid material or slurries through the conduit means 46, such may be acted upon in order to produce a chemical reaction by the heat exchanger 62. The heat exchanger may be employed for heating or cooling the slurries or fiuidous material, as such passes through the conduit section 48 of the conduit means. Of course, any type of controls for pressure, temperature, flow and the like, which can be manual or automatic, can be provided in association with the conduit means for controlling the feeding action of the pump and the heating or cooling system for the exchanger 62.

It is contemplated that a number of mixers 10 can be disposed in a series or tandem relation with the treated material passing from the container of one mixer into the container of a succeeding mixer. Thus, instead of the conduit section 48 discharging material back into its associated container, the conduit section can overlie the container of an adjoining mixer 10 and discharge the material into such container. Because of the higher lpumping pressure action of the impeller assembly, the forced upward flow of material through the conduit section 48 can be effected without the need for using any auxiliary pumping or feeding means. This is also true in connection with the recirculation arrangement of FIG. 1.

It can be appreciated that the container 12 can be of any shape or size, and can be removably securely fixed to the pump casing and can be open or closed. In the latter respect, the same can be sealed for working under pressure or vacuum.

Thus, while the best known form and uses of the present invention have been described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, other forms may be realized, as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An industrial mixer comprising a comminuting pump having a casing in the form of a hollow body of revolution, said casing having a side wall with an inner surface provided with comminuting means and having an axial inlet end and an opposing closed end wall, said casing having an outlet provided in the side wall adjacent the closed end wall, an impeller shaft sealingly and rotatably journaled in the closed end wall and rotatably disposed in the casing concentric to the axis of the casing, impeller blades mounted on the shaft and cooperating with the comminuting means on the inner surface of the side wall of the casing, a vertically disposed container having an enlarged cylindrical upper end portion provided with inlet means for the admission of material to the container and having an inwardly tapered lower outlet end defining an outlet merging smoothly and in free communication with the inlet end of the casing for the gravitational flow of material from the container into the casing, a prime mover having a driving shaft drivingly connected to the impeller shaft, a precutter shaft portion connected to said impeller shaft and extending axially within said container, precutter means projecting radially from said precutter shaft portion and terminating in spaced relation to the inner surface of said upper end portion of the container to define an upper chamber above said precutter means and a lower chamber below said precutter means, and stationary cutter means mounted on and extending inwardly from said inner surface of the container in spaced relation below said precutter means and in marginally overlapping relation therewith.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said casing is vertically disposed and underlies the container and the inlet end of the casing constiutes the upper end thereof, and said container is mounted on the inlet end of the casing.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein said conduit means is connected between the outlet of the casing and the inlet means of the container for recirculation of the material, said outlet radially extending from the casing.

4. The invention of claim 2, including second precutter means on said precutter shaft portion below said stationary cutter means, said precutter means being mounted on the precutter shaft portion for adjustment axially thereon and means securing said precutting means in adjusted positions axially of the precutter shaft portion.

5. The invention of claim 2, wherein a conduit is connected between the outlet of the casing and the inlet means of the container for recirculation of the material being treated, a valve controlled outlet associated with the conduit and a heat exchanger concentrically mounted on the conduit between the casing and the container.

6. An industrial mixer capable of handling liquid, slurries, pastes, solids and liquids, and solids only, comprising in combination:

a vertical container having an upper main body portion and an inwardly tapered throat portion at its lower end defining a discharge opening,

a comminuting pump having a vertically disposed cylindrical casing having an open inlet end secured to the lower end of said container in registry with said discharge opening of the casing, said inlet and u said discharge opening being of substantially identical cross sectional areas, said casing having it opposite end closed and being provide along one side with spaced openings for the discharge of material therethrough,

a shaft extending axially through said casing and said container,

an impeller fixed to said shaft within said casing and having axially extending edge portions closely adjacent the inner surface of the casing for comminuting material therebetween and discharging materials through said openings in the side of the casing,

a plurality of cutter blades fixed to the inner surface of said container in circumferentially spaced relationship there-around and extending inwardly towards said shaft,

a precutter member fixed to said shaft above said cutter blades in spaced relationship thereto and projecting from said shaft into marginally overlapping relationship with said cutter blades to define, while rotating, a moving bottom wall for material disposed within said container above said precutter.

and means for rotating said shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,624,567 4/1927 Teague 241 260 X 2,090,578 8/1937 Eppenbach 241101 2,255,213 9/1941 Good 241-257 X 2,412,677 12/1946 Eppenback 241-97 X 2,737,372 3/1956 Carter 241-46 X 2,932,459 4/1960 Roe 241-46 3,305,180 2/1967 Tomlinson 241--97 X HARRISON L. HINSON, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

